Xenophobia or fear of strangers is the fear or hatred of people who are perceived as being different from oneself. This can be based on a person’s race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or other distinguishing characteristics.
Xenophobia and racism are similar as both has roots in discrimination, however xenophobia usually refers to a person's nationality and culture rather than exclusively their race or ethnicity. People can be both xenophobic and racist.
Examples may include (but are not limited to):
- Making fun of someone's nationality
- Making prejudiced assumptions about a person based on where they come from - for example, saying that all French people like to eat snails.
- Imitating or making fun of a person's accent
- Saying that someone is not welcome because they are from a different country
- Actively excluding someone from events or conversations because of their nationality
- Saying hurtful things about a person's culture
- Assuming that one culture is better than another
- Physically harming or attacking someone because of their nationality
- Sending hurtful comments online about someone based on where they are from/where they were born
- Hating an entire country because of something that a handful of people from that country have done in the past
- Spreading hateful messages about a culture or nationality on social media.
- Accusing immigrants of 'stealing jobs or national services' from the native inhabitants of a country.
- Using derogatory names or 'nicknames' to refer to a person from a different country.
- Not employing someone because they are foreign, even if they are fully qualified for the job and speak the required language fluently.
Learn more about Xenophobia, its traits, causes and symptoms.
Learn more about The University of Edinburgh’s support and guidance for students who have experienced any forms of discrimination.
The Advice Place is run by the Student's Association and is a third party crime reporting site. If you are a victim of a crime, they can support you.
You can call 999 in an emergency to speak to Police or 101 for non-emergencies. If not an emergency, but you wish to report something, you can report online.
Learn more about The University of Edinburgh’s support and guidance for students who have experienced any forms of discrimination.
The Advice Place is run by the Student's Association and is a third party crime reporting site. If you are a victim of a crime, they can support you.
You can call 999 in an emergency to speak to Police or 101 for non-emergencies. If not an emergency, but you wish to report something, you can report online.